The present invention relates to electrical boxes and methods of producing the same.
Consumers, updated National Electrical Codes (NEC), and Underwriter Laboratories (UL) requirements all require that electrical boxes be made stronger than in the prior art.
An object of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks of known electrical boxes.
A further object of the invention includes making electrical boxes which use the standard punched-out, stamped electrical boxes in a more intelligent fashion.
Yet another object of the invention is to take out the radius of a standard industry size electrical box so that a support for supporting a fixture can be located the proper distance from a second support to meet National Electrical Code (NEC) standards.
Another object of the invention is to eliminate the problem of pure plastic boxes being unusable for heavy-duty use.
Another object of the invention is to achieve a strengthened electrical box with a supplemental support within a standard so-called xe2x80x9c4xc3x974xe2x80x9d box, while maintaining the near universal 3.5 inch (8.9 cm) spacing between the fixture supports so that the box is usable with standard light fixtures, ceiling fans, and the like.
It is likewise an object of the invention to provide metal supplemental supports in non-metallic and/or plastic electrical boxes to enhance the carrying strength of the electrical boxes.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide studs in the electrical boxes which cover the threads of standard screws so that no screw threads are present in the interior of such electrical boxes.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an electrical box having a sufficiently smooth interior for preventing wear to the plastic coating of plastic-coated electrical wire.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide electrical boxes in which added supports, such as studs, are added during the manufacturing process to eliminate problems in prior art electrical boxes, as well as to strengthen the inventive electrical boxes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a junction box having a supplemental support, yet which requires no welding during assembly thereof.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an electrical box having components which are easily fabricated, added to the electrical box, and assembled in the final form by the operation of screwing or riveting, yet which do not loosen when subjected to static and/or dynamic loading.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a plastic junction box having metal components that is a xe2x80x9cmarriagexe2x80x9d of plastic and metal and which enhances and exploits the properties of both materials.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a junction box capable of carrying static and/or dynamic loads having an auxiliary support and that is assembled with fewer parts and with fewer steps than known devices.
It is a yet further object that all the above be carried out with an electrical box which carries the static and dynamic load of supported fixtures better than known electrical boxes.
It is another object of the invention to provide a junction box which is made of plastic, yet which is self-grounded.
It is a still further object of the invention to maximize the use of non-metallic materials in a junction box, while minimizing the use of metallic materials in junction boxes.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a plastic junction box which can support both light fixtures and ceiling fans.
Another object of the invention is to provide a plastic junction box which includes a metal ground.
A further object of the invention is to provide a metal junction box having a securely attached metal ground, unlike prior art grounding clips.
A still further object of the invention is to provide for a method of extruding junction boxes, which had been unknown in the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide an extruded non-metallic junction box having a metal top wall.
A further object of the invention is to provide a non-metallic junction box having a non-metallic top wall with a metallic insert therein for serving as one or both of an electrical ground and an added strengthening element for supporting electrical fixtures carried by said junction box.
In summary, the present invention is directed to an electrical junction box or mounting assembly having a top wall and a side wall. The side wall may be plastic and extends downwardly away from the top wall and defines a cavity therein. A hole is provided in the side wall, and a fixture support is disposed in the hole. A threaded hole is provided on the fixture support, and the threaded hole is sized for mating with the threads of a fixture fastener. The fastener may be a screw. The top wall may be made of metal, and the side wall and/or top wall may be made of plastic. The fixture support may be a stud having the threaded hole therein. Flutes may be provided on the stud for engaging with the plastic/metal side wall for preventing rotation of the stud. An adhesive sufficiently strong to adhere the junction box to a downwardly facing surface may be provided on the top wall of the junction box. The adhesive may be in the form of double-sided tape. A method of forming the box includes extruding the body and attaching a metal top thereto.
These objects and advantages as well as others will be readily apparent from a review of the following description and drawings.
The drawings show a variety of embodiments of the invention, as will be clear from reading the description below.
It is important to note that the use of relative terms such as xe2x80x9cupxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdownxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cleftxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9crightxe2x80x9d is for convenience only and is not intended to be limiting.